Crustless Smoked Oyster & Silver Beet Quiche

Know what a silver beet is? It sounds magical, but really it's what Swiss chard is called in Australia (in Germany it's mangold). Know what the difference between Swiss chard and regular chard is? According to Wikipedia: nothing. We just like to call the same things different words.

A quick email to my Australian friend confirmed they are indeed the same thing, though she added, "People commonly think silver beet is spinach. But it’s not."

So it's NOT spinach, got that? Back to our friendly internet resource, Wikipedia claims the "Swiss" part was added precisely to differentiate the greens from French spinach in 19th century seed catalogs. That was back before the internet could help sort it all out. You had to eat it, and if your teeth felt fuzzy, you knew it was spinach.

Swiss chard, mangold, regular chard, spinach...I'll call it silver beet because that sounds neato. And also because I like chard but I hate beets, so hopefully this will help me get over my aversion.

Silver beets. Yum.

My silver beets didn't have red stalks. How do you tell the difference between red chard and just plain rhubarb? Rhubarb is a fruit used in pies and red chard is like spinach with red veins. There you go.

This began as a simple spinach quiche. I used to make it a lot back in the day before I actually knew how to "cook." Instead of the cheddar I would normally use, I threw in the leftover smoked oyster dip from last week and voila! More protein. With the superfood chard, eggs, and oysters, this is probably the most protein-charged meal I've made recently. Or ever.

Probably ever.

Since the cheese in the dip is so very salty/sour, the taste is quite different from a regular quiche. It's also more oyster-y. But it's good for you. Might turn you into a super-hero.*

Douse this with some salsa colorada and say ahhh!

*claim unproven

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Crustless Smoked Oyster & Silver Beet Quiche

by Paulette Fontanez April-12-2012

A fusion of a smoked oyster dip and spinach-like chard in an eggy pie.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups silver beet leaves
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups smoked oyster dip

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are soft, just before they start to brown. Then stir in silver beet and continue cooking until bright green. Remove from heat.3. In a bowl, combine the eggs with the smoked oyster dip. Add the silver beet/onion mixture and ensure it's evenly mixed together. Spread mixture into greased pie pan, evenly.4. Bake until top is slightly brown, about 30-40 minutes. Eggs should be set and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yields: 1 9" pie

Smoked Oyster Dip

I've learned that I like smoked oysters. A couple of ways. This experiment started as a smoked oyster pâté. I was working on a cross between the recipes from Food52 and Joseph Phelps Vineyard, both of which use cream cheese.

But I decided to use a super strong Egyptian Istanbolli cheese my mother found was too salty for her, so she pawned it off on me. As soon as I tasted it, I knew I would use it in this dish.

The feta-like cheese was so strong I cut back on the salt and lemon. I also only used half of the Worcestershire sauce because of its high sodium content. Switching out parsley for oregano (I never have parsley on hand, but I always have oregano — must be the Latina in me), adding more garlic, and foregoing the lemon zest completely led to a tasty combination. I almost wish I'd left out the Tabasco, it really doesn't add much more than a sour vinegar-y flavor. My other mistake was in using all three tablespoons of milk at once. Given the oil from the smoked oysters (though drained), there was a bit too much liquid.

Therefore, I made a creamy dip instead of a thick pâté. This would make a great sandwich spread, or bagel schmear.

It's good party food. And a perfect vehicle for the fresh chives I recently acquired. I love chives in anything. Even with smoked oysters. They make pretty, edible garnishes.

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Smoked Oyster Dip

by Paulette Fontanez

A creamy cheese-based dip perfect for parties.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Istanbolli cheese (can substitute cream cheese, feta, goat cheese or even ricotta)
• 2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons milk 
• 1 three oz can smoked oysters, packed in olive oil
• dash hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the cheese, scallions, garlic, oregano, chives, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.2. Add the milk a bit at a time, until you reach the thickness you prefer. All three tablespoons lead to a very thin dip, less to a thicker pâté-like texture. Remember you might add oil in the next step.3. Add in the oysters, using a bit of the flavorful oil in the mix. Add the salt and pepper at this point, if needed.4. Spread on crackers or bagels, or serve in a dipping bowl.

Details

Yield: 4-6 servings